Leadership in the hospitality sector can be a daunting prospect. It takes a lot of hard work, long shifts, training and learning new skills to develop into a hospitality leader.

Whether you’re entering a new career and want some advice or are desiring to work your way up the ladder from the bottom of the industry, here’s a few top tips for aspiring hospitality leaders who want to get ahead in the game:

Criticism is a Blessing in Disguise

If you are aspiring to be a leader in the hospitality sector, you need to strive to improve, so take criticism and roll with it. When you’re striving to be the best, you’re going to get a lot of knock backs on the road to success. Take the negative things people are saying and improve on them – listen to every critic intently and view every single one as a blessing. Every piece of criticism offers you the chance to build on what was letting you down, so you can be a better leader in the future.

Take Initiative

Waiting around never got anyone anywhere. If you need something, go and get it; if you think something is wrong or could be done better, speak out and share your ideas. Leadership is all about taking charge and being brave – sitting quietly in the corner won’t get you noticed, and it certainly won’t make you a leader.

Listen to Others

Where better to start your leadership skills than at the bottom of the hospitality ladder? Listening is one of the best skills to have as a follower and a leader. Listen to those who are more experienced than you and seek advice from those you know in the industry. Utilise people to build on what you know and find a mentor if you can. The hospitality sector are a close-knit community and other managers will be willing to help, you just need to find the right people.

Be Passionate

If you want to evolve in the hospitality industry, you need to love what you do and show others how passionate you are about your job. Those who want and show they want to succeed, usually do. If senior people see you working hard and above and beyond your pay grade, they’re likely to reward you for it.

Ask to try your hand at things you’ve never done before and train in areas where you think you need improvement. Remember to always be enthusiastic and level-headed – those who lead, need to stay calm in situations that demand conflict.

If You Think You Should Leap…Leap

If you see a better opportunity go for it. In the hospitality sector, sometimes you have to take necessary risks to further your career. The world is getting smaller and there are more opportunities for you to branch out. The skills learnt from the hospitality industry can be transferred and used all over the world. Therefore, you should move to a bigger city if you want more prospects or even consider going abroad to open up your horizons. The hospitality industry abroad is equally as vital to a country’s economy as it is in the United Kingdom and will offer different and potentially opportunities and chances to grow.